Motor vehicle acceleration signal device



March 4, 1958 P. KERSHMAN MOTOR VEHICLE ACCELERATION SIGNAL DEVICE Filed Oct. 17, 1955 PHIL/P KERSHMAN INVENTOR.

HuEa/vEmBEEHw/z WORREL a HERZ/G;

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCELERATION SIGNAL DEVICE Philip Kershman, Los Angeles, Caiif.

Application October 17, 1955, Serial No. 540,987

1 Claim. (Cl. 180-77) This invention relates broadly to signal devices in motor vehicles and more particularly to devices for .signalling a driver of a motor vehicle in instances where he is operating the accelerator of his vehicle improperly.

When the load on the motor of an automobile is increased as, for example, when the automobile is being driven up a grade, a driver will normally depress his accelerator foot pedal to maintain the speed of the automobile. It is usual, too, for the driver to depress the foot pedal quickly under these circumstances. During the interval of speed increase, the intake manifold suction decreases and a rapid depression of the foot pedal to increase the fuel supply results in uneconomical fuel consumption and inefiicent operation of the automobile.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device which will afiectively signal a driver in instances where he is depressing the accelerator of his vehicle too rapidly for eflicient operation of the vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the above mentioned character which serves to absorb or dissipate much of the force which a driver may apply against the accelerator of his vehicle when attempting too quickly to increase the speed of the vehicle.

A further object of the invention is to provide an effective device of the above mentioned character which is simple in construction so that it may be manufactured for sale to the public at low cost and still further may be installed easily and quickly by a car owner.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear during the course of the following part of this specification, wherein the details of construction and mode of operation of two embodiments thereof are described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in

'22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of a second embodiment of the invention, showing the same as it may be installed in a motor vehicle according to the present invention; and

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section on an enlarged scale through the signalling device shown in Figure 3.

Referring now to the drawing in greater detail, reference is had first to Figure 3 for describing the conventional parts of an automobile, to which the devices of this invention are connected. Numeral designates a floor board of an automobile on which a conventional accelerator foot pedal 11 is pivotally mounted as by hinge 12 so that the pedal may be depressed by the drivers foot to increase the speed of the automobile. A spring 13 positioned between the pedal and the floor board serves to swing the pedal upwardly from the floor board. A rod 14 is pivotally attached at one end 15 thereof to the underside of the foot pedal and extends through hole 16 United States Patent of the floor board for connection to a bell crank 17. Reference numeral 18 designates a conventional carburetor having a throttle valve 19 mounted in the throat of the carburetor on a shaft 29. A lever 21 is fixed on one end of the shaft for efiecting rotation of the shaft and thethrottle valve. The intake manifold of the automobile motor is represented at 22.

In Figure 3 of the drawing, the lever 21 on the carburetor is linked to the bell crank 17 through two aligned rods 25 and 26. These rods are interconnected at their mutually adjacent ends through a device 27 embodying the present invention. A tube 28 connects the device 27 to the intake manifold 22.

For convenience of description herein, the details of construction of the device shown in Figure 1 will be described prior to describing the structure and mode of operation of the device shown in Figures 3 and 4. It is to be noted at this point, however, that for the embodiment shown in Figure l the rods 25 and 26 may constitute a single rod for linking the bell crank 17 directly to the lever 21, as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawing, the signal device shown therein is designated generally by reference numeral 31. It comprises a lower plate 32 and an upper plate 33, which are hinged together at 34. The lower plate 32 is fixed flat on the upper surface of the foot pedal 11 as by rivets 35. When the device 31 is mounted as shown in Figure 1, the upper plate 33 serves as the foot pedal for accelerating the automobile and in its preferred form such upper plate has a sheet or pad 36 of rubber or the like covering its upper surface to provide a friction contact surface for the drivers shoe.

T he lower plate 32 has two lugs as extending upwardly from the top surface thereof. A in 3? extends between these lugs for pivotally supporting a cam 46 between the plates. The cam 4b is eccentric and is mounted to be turned on the axis of pin 39 between the full line position thereof shown in Figure l to the broken line position 41. When the cam is in its full line position its major axis is substantially perpendicular to the lower plate 32. The cam presents a curved surface 42 in contact with the underside of'the upper plate 33.

Intermediate the cam 40 and the hinge 34 is a cylinder 46 which is closed at that end thereof proximate the hinge 34 by an end closure 3-7 and is open at its opposite end 48. A piston 49 is movable longitudinally in the cylinder and is linked to the cam through a piston rod 50 pivotally secured to the cam at its outer end 51. On the end closure 47 is a lug 52 by which the cylinder 46 is pivotally mounted through a pivot pin 54 and upstanding lugs 55 to the upper surface of the lower plate 32.

The end closure 47 and the piston 49 define a chamber 57 within the cylinder. A tube 53 passes through the wall of the cylinder into the chamber 57, and at its other end the tube is connected to the intake manifold of the automobile similarly as the tube 28 in the embodiment shown in Figure 3.

in operation, when the automobile is in motion the vacuum in the intake manifold will be at given pressure and such vacuum will be transmitted to the cylinder 46 through tube 53 to retain the piston 49 proximate the end closure 7 of the cylinder whereby the cam it) will be disposed in its full line position to spread the plates 32 and 33 apart. en next the load on the automobile is increased as, for example, when the automobile is driven up a grade, the automobile will tend to slow down and the driver in his attempt to maintain constant speed of the automobile will depress the foot pedal, i. e. upper plate 33, to further open the throttle valve in the carburetor. Should the driver press the pedal too rapidly for eiiicient motor operation, as is often the case, the vacuum or suction in the intake manifold will decrease. Under .these conditions gwolme will be fed tothc carburetor at a rate such that the gasoline and air mixture in the carburetor will be too rich for efiicient motor operation. The decrease in suction ifrom the intake manifold will be transmitted through the tube 53 -to 2511.8, chamber-575m .the cylinder-ithus, permitting thepiston-AS} to move ina direction toward the open end 48 ofthe} cylinder. With no pull being exerted on the camthe cam will turn from its full line po'sition to its broken line position -l .along with movement of theupper plate 33 quickly in a direction toward the lower plate 32. The resulting release cf pressure against thedrivers foot will signal the Q driver that heisrdepressing the foot pedal too quickly for r economical Operation of the vehicle. Turningofithe cam also assists inhdecreasing the ressure on thc ioot pedal (.againstthejthrottle valve lever 21 thereby ailo vingthe yalve '19 to turn under pressure of itsiassociat'ed spring '59 toward its closed position. When suctioniinthe intake ma'iiifoldis again built upto optimum operating condh tions; such vacuum will be transmittedtothe. cylinder 346' to; pull tie piston.49 inwardly of the cylinderand "thereby turn the eam 'dilfroni its broken line position to its full'lineposition,thus returningthe upper plate33 from its broken line position 6 to its original position. "Againrreferring'to 'Figuresfl and 4 of the drawing, .thedeviceii 'by whicha signal is conveyed to the driver :of theLcar; is locatedunderthe 'flooli board 10 and not, as shownini'Figure 1, directly on the foot pedal 11. fThis embodiment of the present inventioncomprisesa fcylinderi having'a' closure 62 atone end thereof and a cap 3.screwed on its other? end.

'Slidable longitudinallyinthe cylinder is apiston'66;

same being 'constitute'd of two metal washers. 67; having a;.

flexibleydisc'd'as ofle'atherpositioned between the washers. The diameter of'the disc;'68is-greater'than the inside "diameter of'the cylinder 'whereby the marginal portion 7 lot the disc 63'is fianged'm'erthe rim' ofone ofthe washers.

67 'toiprovide a fluid type fit forthe pistonin the cylinder.

" byjascrew'flf That portionof the rod movable within the'cylmder constitutes a Piston rod for the piston 1 7 being .pivo tally mounted. to oneroflzthefsaidaplates "and ha'viltlg a cam surfa ce. engageable with otherof saidi j "it is movable axially in a bore 72'formed in the cap 63.

The wall defining the bore 72'hasan annular groove '73 A collari75is therein which receives an .O-ring' 74.

located on the rod 26 within the cylinder toserve'as a stop-for limiting the extent of movement of therod 011twardly from the cylinder. A second collar 76issecured V on-the rod-externally of the cylinderjand itlikewise'serves "as aetopand limits-movement of the piston rod inwardly "'of the cylinder. a a a The piston-fidandthe end cap' 63 define a'chamber 78 within "the cylinder 61. Thewallof the'cylinder'has a hippie 79.1ocated-threinfor receiving oneend of the tube 28wl1ichleads to the intake manifold 22.1 In the closure g62'is an aperture 80 which vents fiow of air intojand V out-:from the cylinder behind the 'piston 66 thereby to permit movement or". therpiston within the "cylinder response; to manifold suction. Rod is secured at one 7 end thereof to the. closure plate 62 to'completefthe link bet'wee'n bell crank 1.7 and the throttle valve'lever '21.-

5 111 operation; the device 27'servesto transmita signal The piston'oo issecured to one end of the rod '26 as age between the bell crankian'd the carburetonthrottle" 'valve. This shortening of ithe'jli'nkage. will'be transmitted 7 V to the driver.asa signal.through hiscontacttwith the foot 1' a pedal. of improper operationof the. automobilegWhen the intake manifold suction'is thereafter built np'ito-its' optimum degree, 'it will beftransmittedto-the cylinder 61 to cause the piston 66 to move in the directionofthe V i cap 63 there-byte lengthen the linkage between the Bell crank and the carburetor and return the pistonfto its 3 ;...normal:positioniefrom whichit'maymo've to againtabsorb .a'itooigreat pressure' onlthe fooepedal. J 7 h s Fromathed'above il-it is apparent that; the zjinventionis herein: described provides an Lefiicient.devicewhichtmay be :s.manufacturedisimplyuand inexpensively. and which ;serves.to: efiectively transmit-a isi gnal-to the drivergit-an automobileyshould -h6- .be dr-ivin'gjihisgautomobil properly." V 7 .WhilefIihave herein .in what 1 have conceived tobe-:the mostipracticaland .preferred tembodime'nts, itl is. recognizedthat departures V may bamadelltherefrom" ithinithe-scope ofimy invem tiOlLiiWhiCh.iislnbfilobei niited to .the' detail V V 1 hereinrbutiis tocbe 'accorded theiull :scope of the cla'im :-so as to embraceaany andall 'equivalent -dvices. 1 ,l-lavingzde'scribed my. inyentiom-iwhat .gand desireito securerby Letters Patent is: v A foot pedal .for usein a floon board-or a 7 z =hicle having an intake :manifold; said pedahcomprising a 'ftos/the floor board, :a ,top a plate pivotally mounted-to said i'plates sthe: configuration of the cam surface g being such direction under suction of a degree less'than saidfirst .-.degree. K g V I ReferencesLCitedinthel iile ofithiggp t fig V UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,566,376 "Couty De};..1;22, :1925

Shown and described my invention a claim agility V7 meme firstplate:adapted to:-be pivotally mounted with respect 7 -that :said plates? are spaced apart bye givemdistance' when f 

